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Minutes from the Public Works Committee meeting on Tuesday, December 5, 2006.
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Public Works Committee Minutes
Tuesday, December 5, 2006
4:30 p.m.
Members present: Darrel Dover, Alec Farmer, Chris Moore, Cecil Province and John Street. Councilman Ashley was unable to attend. Mayor Formon and Mr. Tony Thomas from the Mayor’s Office were also in attendance.
MINUTES
Councilman Farmer motioned, seconded by Councilman Moore, to approve the minutes from the regular meeting on November 9th and the special meeting on November 21st as written. All voted aye. Minutes were made to those in attendance.
GENERAL PROPERTY/BUILDINGS/PARKING
Long range facilities planning recommendation to purchase the CWL property situated on Johnson Ave. for $2.185 million: Chairman Street noted the CWL Board approved the sale and Mayor Formon endorsed the purchase. Councilman Farmer questioned the structural integrity of the building. Chairman Street stated there is one section of the building that is questionable, but even if that section of the building was taken off the purchase would still be a good deal. Mr. Otis Spriggs stated they did not find it necessary to have departments such as Street, Sanitation, Engineering and Inspections downtown in City Hall. Discussion was held regarding future Police Department office needs. Councilman Moore stated he would like to know what the total cost is of the purchase before sending it to Council. He then questioned the environmental studies that have been done on the property. Mr. Teddy Hooton stated a Phase One study has been performed on the property. He added a Phase Two study was not needed. Councilman Moore noted two problems have been found on the property and questioned whether that would trigger a Phase Two study. Mr. Spriggs stated he did not think a Phase Two study would be done because the problems were minor. Councilman Moore questioned whether CWL owns all of the 14 acres or if they are in a lease agreement with the railroad for part of it. Mr. Spriggs stated he is not sure. Councilman Moore stated he would like to know if CWL had clear title on that property to make sure they do not have any lease agreements with the railroad. Councilman Dover stated he would like to see a time frame on the other projects being discussed as well as the estimated costs of the purchases and any improvements that will have to be made. Councilman Farmer questioned how the purchase fit into the big picture when considering the future needs for a New City Hall and Police Department, as well as the needs of the other City property such as the landfill. Discussion was held regarding facility needs for the City. It was asked for Mayor Formon to set a time for a work session to discuss the purchase of the CWL property. It was also asked for Mr. Spriggs to present the information that was asked for at the work session. PENDING
PLANNING
Residential/Commercial zoning regulation text amendment review: Chairman Street questioned the AG-1 zoning, as to whether exceptions were made for utilities. Mr. Spriggs stated that was not addressed, but it can be modified at the Council level to include that issue. He added since they are public utilities he would recommend making them an exemption. He provided the committee with a revised ordinance and stated he would try to get it advertised in the paper before going to City Council. Mr. Spriggs asked for the committee members to let him know of any comments before the Council meeting on December 19th. City Clerk Donna Jackson questioned whether City Attorney Phillip Crego approved the ordinance as written. Mr. Spriggs stated he hasn’t approved it since it still has to be revised. Ms. Jackson noted the ordinance does not state what sections and codes will be revised. She added there is a time frame for doing the notification, plus she has to have three copies of the document so the public can review them. Chairman Street questioned whether there will be enough time to have everything done before the next meeting. Ms. Jackson stated she does not know what the time frame is. It was decided to hold the ordinance. PENDING
Street acceptance ordinance update: Mr. Spriggs provided the committee with updated information regarding the proposed process for Council to accept streets. Mr. Mike Cameron stated the process is what is laid out by ordinance, but it’s not the policy that is being used. Mr. Hooton stated the ordinance states the final lift cannot be put on until 90-days after the utilities have been put in. Discussion was held regarding the process. Questions were raised concerning when the 90-day requirement would apply in different situations. It was asked for the task force to look at the ordinance and come back with a recommendation concerning the 90-day period. PENDING
Councilman Moore stated they met with Mr. Sam Hummelstein to possibly utilize the Hummelstein property on Burke for drainage improvements on Sharp Street. Mr. Hummelstein asked for 60 to 90-days so he can put together a plan to move his facility. Councilman Moore stated he would like to proceed with receiving appraisals on the properties that would need to be purchased as recommended by the engineering staff so they can compare the costs. Councilman Moore motioned, seconded by Councilman Dover, to authorize Mr. Harry Hardwick to acquire the appraisals on the proposed properties to be purchased as recommended by Miller Newell. All voted aye.
Land use plan meeting: Chairman Street stated there will be a meeting on December 14, 2006, at 4 p.m. at the Huntington Building concerning the long range land use plan. Chairman Street added there will also be a public meeting regarding capital improvements on December 14, 2006, at 6 p.m. in the Huntington Building.
Mr. Paul House discussed changes in the state building code that will occur after January 1st. Councilman Moore noted some homes that will be put on the condemnation list next year may not be able to be brought up to the new state codes, so there may be several homes that may have to be torn down. He added Mr. House has already been advising homeowners that are on the condemned list of the changes so they can buy permits to fix up their homes before January 1st. Discussion was held concerning what would change with the state code. Mr. Hooton stated it’s his understanding the City already has an ordinance in place that will automatically adopt the state changes, so the City will not need to do anything.
STREETS/SIDEWALKS
Resolution to enter into a contract with P&J Development and RWT Land Development to accept the right of way and redesign and construct a new three-way intersection at Aggie and Paragould Roads that will connect to Prospect Farm Lane: Mr. Hooton stated the developers will pay for the engineering and design and the City will construct the intersection. Chairman Street added it will be on the agenda for the December 19, 2006, meeting. Councilman Farmer questioned how much the project will cost the City. Mr. Hooton stated the construction will cost approximately $50,000. Councilman Moore motioned, seconded by Councilman Dover, to recommend the resolution to full Council and place it on the agenda for December 19th. All voted aye.
Standard operating procedures: Mr. Hooton explained he is currently compiling some information. PENDING
Sidewalks: Mr. House stated they are on schedule to be in compliance by September 1, 2007. Councilman Moore questioned when the sidewalk on Fisher Street going to the school will be started. He asked for Mr. Hooton to find out when construction would start and let him know. PENDING
Loberg Lane: Mr. Hooton stated they did three 24-hour counts. Discussion was held regarding the numbers obtained from the traffic count. It was asked for Mr. Hooton to come up with an estimated cost of construction for the next meeting. PENDING
Resolution to accept the low bid meeting specs for traffic signal bulbs: Councilman Moore questioned whether CWL would reimburse the City for the cost of the bulbs. Mr. Hooton stated the expense of the bulbs would be paid for by the City, not CWL. Councilman Moore motioned, seconded by Councilman Dover, to award the contract to Pinkley Sales for LED bulbs and place it on the agenda for December 19th. All voted aye.
DRAINAGE
Drainage easement on Casey Springs Road: Mr. Hooton stated he has not been able to make contact with the property owner yet. PENDING
List of street and drainage projects completed for 2006: Councilman Farmer stated Mr. Hooton provided him with the list.
Developer requested pipe installation/hold harmless agreement: Mr. Tony Thomas stated the task force discussed requiring hold harmless agreements but did not come up with a recommendation yet. Mr. Hooton stated he still has one developer that wants the City to install some pipe. Chairman Street questioned whether there would be a problem with the developer signing a hold harmless agreement or getting Mr. Crego to draft the agreement. Mr. Hooton stated he did not think there would be a problem. Mr. Thomas stated they are looking into the whole process, but there is no problem with a hold harmless agreement with this developer. He added the main concern of the task force is whether each request needs to be taken to the committee or if the department can make the decision to proceed with the installation. Councilman Dover motioned, seconded by Councilman Moore, to install the pipe purchased by the developer for the Old Paragould Road project subject to the developer signing a hold harmless agreement as drafted by Mr. Crego. All voted aye.
Cost analysis of upgrading drainage system at Oak and Cherry vs. purchasing Sutton property at 317 E. Cherry Ave.: Mr. Bernie Auld provided the committee with a drainage analysis of the property. Mr. House stated there are some concerns with mold and mildew in the home because of the frequent flooding. Mr. Auld stated the appraised value is approximately $75,000. Councilman Moore motioned, seconded by Councilman Dover, to acquire an appraisal for the property at 317 E. Cherry Ave. for the next meeting. All voted aye. PENDING
Stormwater Ordinance, BMP Manual/Stormwater Manual: Mr. House presented the committee with a letter from ADEQ stating they are looking to larger cities to take care of complaints from residents dealing with environmental concerns due to runoff. Chairman Street noted the moratorium for the Stormwater Manual will expire December 31st. He recommended extending the moratorium until April 1, 2007. It was asked for Mr. House to take care of the ordinance and have it on the agenda for the December 19th meeting. Councilman Farmer motioned, seconded by Councilman Moore, to recommend extending the moratorium until April 1st and to place it on the agenda for the December 19th meeting. PENDING
SANITATION
Landfill closure update: Mr. Royce Leonard stated Mr. Thomas drafted a letter that was sent to ADEQ requesting an extension. He added it is posted on their website. Councilman Dover questioned when they will know if the City has an extension. Mr. Leonard stated he is not sure, but hopefully they’ll know by the end of the month. Mr. Thomas stated they submitted a schedule with the letter to ADEQ outlining the process they will take beginning December 15th. PENDING
OTHER
Councilman Farmer questioned how many traffic signals the City will get in 2007 with the 90/10 split from the Highway Department. Mr. Hooton stated he does not know, but he can get the information.
Councilman Farmer then questioned who appoints the Floodplain Administrator. Mr. Thomas stated at this time there are only two people certified to hold that position so someone will need to be appointed. Mr. Hooton added he and Mr. Jeremy Bevill are certified. Mr. Hooton stated the ordinance says the City Engineer will be the Floodplain Administrator.
Councilman Farmer discussed getting traffic counts for certain roads in the next few months. He explained the areas would be Race Street east of Stadium to Turtle Creek, Patrick north of Johnson to Lost Creek, Caraway south of the bypass to Fox Meadow, Prospect east of Paragould, Airport north of Aggie, and Gee Street between Hester and the railroad tracks. It was also asked to do a traffic count on Washington west of Gee Street. Councilman Farmer motioned, seconded by Councilman Moore, to proceed with the traffic counts. All voted aye.
ADJOURNMENT
With no further business, Councilman Moore motioned, seconded by Councilman Farmer, to adjourn. All voted aye.